


Family

by Sprinkles257



Series: Dadster and Skelebros stories [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Big Brother Sans, Dadster!, Gaster's falling into the CORE is mentioned, Gen, Good W. D. Gaster, I headcanon them being four years apart :P, LOTS OF HEADCANONS WHOA BOY, That's all lol, This is mostly fluff (and a little angst), Younger Brother Papyrus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-29 23:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13937511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sprinkles257/pseuds/Sprinkles257
Summary: From babybones to adults, the Skelebros and their father, W.D. Gaster, through the ages.(This is pretty much just a lot of oneshots mushed together.)





	1. Introduction (in More Ways Than One)

**Author's Note:**

> I promised my next Dadster story would be fluffy, so hERE YOU GO!  
> Just fluff, pure fluff (okay there's a tiny bit of angst but shh).  
> Yes, I love Dadster/the skeleton family! Adorable. (All the characters are cool though, in my opinion. XD)
> 
> I like Badsters too, but W.D being a good dad is a really sweet interpretation of him!
> 
> Remember how in "Troubleding Sons" I said I had headcanons on how Gaster made his sons? It wasn't in the labs, there is a biological way to do it. Single parents can do it, but it's considered non-traditional. Gaster did it anyway though, because he's cool like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually old...February 2017 or something? However, everything else after this chapter is relatively recent.

    **Sans - 4 Papyrus - ...0 lol**

   W.D. Gaster was the Royal Scientist, and despite being a very busy man, he cared deeply for his son, Sans.  

 _[ENTRY NUMBER ONE._  

 _I AM CURRENTLY WORKING ON A PROJECT ABOUT THE MECHANICS OF SOULS. I AM ATTEMPTING TO CREATE A POWER SOURCE EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF A HUMAN SOUL, AND WITH ENOUGH OF THAT POWER, I CAN REPLICATE A FORCE STRONG ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE BARRIER. SO_ _FAR I_ _HAVE ONLY REACHED THE PROCESS OF BRAINSTORMING, BUT I THINK THIS WILL BE VERY, VERY INTERESTING.]_  

   Gaster and Sans lived in the outskirts of Snowdin, adjacent to Waterfall. However, the lab was in Hotland, so Gaster wasn’t home often. When he was, he tried his hardest to spend time with his child. One day, he brought in a little surprise… 

 _[ENTRY NUMBER_ _TWO._  

 _I LEARNED FROM MY PREVIOUS STUDIES THAT MONSTER OFFSPRING IS A WORK OF THE MIND AND SOUL. DUE TO THAT, WE CAN REPRODUCE WITH ONE OR TWO PEOPLE, AS IT SHOULD WORK EITHER WAY. MY SON HAS TOLD_ _ME AT TIMES HE WAS LONELY._ _I’M_ _GOING TO CHANGE THAT BY GIVING HIM A FRIEND FOR LIFE – A BROTHER. THEY WILL BE MY CHILDREN, AND I WILL LOVE THEM BOTH DEARLY.]_  

   He arrived one day with a blanket in his hands, one to correspond with the blue one Sans donned on his neck. Wait, no, it wasn’t a blanket…it was another skeleton! Gaster managed to conjure a little skeleton, and as it was stated; it was all in the soul and mind.  

   Sans looked at the blanket curiously, unused to witnessing a child of his kind. 

   “what’s that?” He asked.  

   [THIS IS YOUR BROTHER.]  

   “brother?” 

   Gaster paused for a moment; pondering on how to explain such a simple thing…it was oddly complicated. [WELL, HE’S RELATED TO YOU, LIKE I AM. HE’S FAMILY, OUR FLESH AND BL—WELL, NOT IN OUR CASE. HEH HEH.] 

   Sans giggled briefly, and then looked again at the small child in Gaster’s arms. “what’s his name?” 

   [HIS NAME IS…PAPYRUS. IT’S A NAME THAT SHOWS PRESTIGE. IT WAS ALSO THE NAME OF AN ANCIENT PAPER.] 

   “does my name stand for something?” 

   [SANS, YOUR NAME SHOWS WISDOM. UNFORTUNATELY, IT ALSO SHOWS A LACK OF SOMETHING. AND, OF COURSE, THOSE ARE ALSO THE FONTS YOU TWO SPEAK IN.] 

   To skeletons, fonts were not just ways of typing. They were treated as dialects, or accents. Comic Sans and Papyrus were generally easy to understand. Symbol based fonts like Wingdings, however, required some practice.

   “oh, cool.” He pointed at Papyrus. “i like his name.” Then Sans’s expression changed to one of shyness, for some odd reason. “can i hold pa…papy…papyrus?” 

   Gaster chuckled at Sans’s attempt to pronounce his brother’s name. [I DON’T SEE WHY NOT.]

   Apparently, Papyrus was asleep earlier, so when there was a change of setting he opened his eyes. His eyes were black rectangular sockets. Despite their empty appearance, they displayed a comforting warmth within them. Of course, being born only mere hours ago, he was not capable of logical thought quite yet. However, instinctively, at the sight of his older brother, he smiled and then reached for Sans’s finger with his little skeletal hand.

  W.D. Gaster laughed quietly to himself, happy with the wordless exchange between his sons. He had high hopes that they would bond.  

   [ALRIGHT, MISTER STARRY-EYES.] He joked. [HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?] 

   “good.” Sans replied. He’s always wanted a friend, but a  _brother_? He never thought he’d see the day, but he did, and he was happy. 

 _[ENTRY NUMBER THREE._  

 _MY SURPRISE_ _WAS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL. RESULTS WERE POSITIVE TO A HIGH DEGREE, AND THE BROTHERS ARE ALREADY SHOWING A BOND. I_ _SUSPECT THEY WILL LEARN HOW TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, WHICH IS GREAT, BECAUSE WHEN I AM…NO LONGER AROUND…WHETHER IT BE WORK, OR SOMETHING LESS PLEASANT.]_

 _[I WANT THEM TO BE SAFE.]_  


	2. Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few months since Sans has been introduced to his brother. He's a bit of a handful. A sweet handful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus is a very smart little dude.

**Sans – 4 years old Papyrus – about half a year**

   A skeleton at the tender age of four was cradling a baby to the best of his ability. His ( _their_ ) father was at work, so he had to take responsibility.

   Sans had a brother now.

   He was happy at the revelation of having a sibling, but it was a bit of a surprise. He didn't know the first things about babies, except that he was one a few years ago. He knew that they were tiny and had to be observed 24/7. Not old enough to be schooled, luckily, Sans had that time.

   Papyrus was proving to be particular about a lot of things. The little skeleton was, to put it simply - picky. He was very picky, shaking his head "no" frequently, and had what some might call "selective hearing". Only hearing what's interesting. Their father often had to repeat things to get Papyrus to listen. To the untrained eye he seemed rude, but in reality, he had a SOUL of gold (well, magic, if we're going to be technical). He cared about others as much as he did himself.

   Sans enjoyed messing with him a bit, regardless of whether he understood or not. He probably did at least a little. The young skeleton could tell his brother was smart. He may call Papyrus names sometimes or tease him, but it was purely playfulness.

   "you're a real pain in the tailbone, you know that?"

   Papyrus babbled a reply.

   "yeah, you know, don't you? you got a lot in that skull of yours." Sans lightly poked his brother's forehead, who loudly giggled. He giggled too. Darn kid was so cute when he wanted to be.

   "S-Saaaanss!" The little skeleton cheered. It was a bit obscure, but _he said it._

   Sans froze.

   " _what_ did you just say?"

   He- he _did_ understand, didn't he? He was only a few months old.

   "you- you said my name, didn't you?"

   "SANS!" Papyrus repeated, louder.

   He did. Of all the words in the English language (or even Hands, for all Sans cared) Papyrus could have said, it was his brother's name. Sans couldn't even begin to articulate what he felt right now. Surprised, maybe. A little startled, even. The most prominent feeling, however, was the need to protect this little guy. Yeah, he could be a handful sometimes, but he was also considerate in his own way. Sans would make sure he stayed like that.

   "aww...c'mere, you little bonehead!" Papyrus moved forward, bending his arms and legs to cuddle the young skeleton in the silly way only a baby could. He sat on Sans's lap, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his room.

   Oh, he was  _definitely_ telling Gaster about this. He did, and the elder skeleton made note of it.

_[ENTRY NUMBER FOUR._

_PAPYRUS IS NOW CAPABLE OF SIMPLE SPEECH. I HAVE NOTICED HE IS PRONE TO YELLING, BUT IS STILL SOFT-SPOKEN DUE TO LEARNING VERY RECENTLY. I HAVE A FEELING HE WILL GROW UP SPEAKING IN A SIMILAR TONE AS MINE. SANS IS JUST AS PROUD AS I AM, AND QUITE FRANKLY, I DON’T BLAME HIM.]_


	3. Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus go to the wishing room.

**Sans - 8 years old Papyrus - 4 years old**  

   Two young skeletons were strolling through the caverns of Waterfall. Bioluminescent water, stones, and the like covered the area. W.D. Gaster allowed them to explore. Gaster was a nice guy and loved his sons, but he was very serious about his profession as Royal Scientist, and to some seemed a bit...eccentric.

   The brothers decided to settle in a room with four-point star-shaped stones dotting the ceiling.

   "hey, papyrus?" One skeleton, Sans, said.

   "NYEH?" The other one, Papyrus, inquired as a reply.

   "did you know that monsters, like you 'n' me, come here to make wishes?"

   "...I DIDN'T."

   "well, now you know." Sans gave a content sigh. "you have a wish?"

   Papyrus pondered over the question for a good few seconds, before smiling (more than usual).

   "I WANNA STAY WITH YOU AND DADDY!"

   The young skeleton's soul nearly melted at his brother's comment, but his face stayed neutral.

   "heh. wish granted.”

   Papyrus looked up to the glistening blue stones. Were those real stars? What did a real star look like? Can you touch it? Or at least feel its presence? If you do see one, how can you tell?

   "DO YOU HAVE A WISH?"

   "hmm...nah." Sans chuckled as Papyrus crossed his arms. "what? ...i can tell you a story instead, if you want."

   "REALLY? YES PLEASE!" 

   "ok." Sans tried to think of something. His stories usually end up conveying a deeper meaning - he learned it from his father. "there was once this boy...in his world, some were mean and some were nice. this boy was very kind. he cared about someone a lot. he wanted to protect them. if he was mean, others might be mean back. so he was nice. that one someone turned to two, three, and so on. but he and them...stuck together no matter what. the end."

   The little skeleton gazed at his brother, teeth clicking in thought. "WOWIE..." He peered up and back down again.

   "HOW DO REAL STARS LOOK?"

   "hmm. i dunno, bro. but i do know one thing-"

   "YEAH?"

   "-you're gonna be one."

Papyrus's eye sockets sparkled like the objects surrounding them.


	4. Long Days With You Are Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day for all three of the skeletons (each for a different reason), they decide to settle down together.

**Sans – 10 Papyrus – 6**

   It was a long day for all three skeletons.

   W.D. Gaster was a bit of a workaholic. His sons came first, but that was rather hard to do when monsters relied on his knowledge. His day consisted of research. That's it. Gaster was usually a "calm but confident" type, but  _this_ was just getting annoying. 

   [HOW ARE THE MIRRORS DOING?] He didn't really mean mirrors. A "mirror" was just another way to say alternate timeline. It made them easier to comprehend when compared to a general thing. There were infinite routes with infinite outcomes. There may have been one where the Human/Monster war was prevented. That's what Gaster has figured out so far. The issue was finding out how to access it. 

   "Nothing out of the ordinary, Doctor."

   [...AS I SUSPECTED. CARRY ON, THEN.] 

_[ENTRY NUMBER FIVE._

_WE ARE NOT GETTING ANY FURTHER IN THE PROJECT, UNFORTUNATELY. I KNOW WE WILL, BUT THESE THINGS TAKE TIME - AND WE HAVE_ PLENTY  _OF THAT. I AM TRYING MY BEST NOT TO LET MY WORK TAKE OVER. THERE ARE THINGS - LIVING THINGS - THAT  ARE MORE IMPORTANT. OTHERS MAY FIND IT RIDICULOUS THAT I VALUE TWO MONSTERS MORE THAN A WHOLE RACE, BUT THESE ARE MY_ SONS.  _ANNOYING AS THE LACK OF PROGRESS MAY BE, I WILL TRY TO BE PATIENT FOR THEM. FOR ME.]_

    Sans, on the other hand, was also working hard. His studies were becoming more difficult – he could handle it, but it would be very time consuming. Time that he could be spending with his dad, or his brother. It was a little stressful. The young skeleton let out a sigh. He felt a bit guilty leaving Papyrus alone while their father was at the Lab. Papyrus was so young and could already take care of himself very well (in his own Papyrus-y way) - but, Sans wasn’t worried about that. It was about how _others_ took care of him. Some treated Papyrus nicely…but, some were less amiable.

   The little skeleton in question was playing in the snow with his action figures. He was giving the characters silly voices – and he saved said characters, of course!

   But…if he was being completely honest, he wasn’t having a very great day. It started out okay, but it sloped down from there. He found out he slept in - he tries his best to get as much out of a day as he can, so this wasn’t good. The brothers went to school, but they were still given occasional lessons by their father  - W.D. Gaster was the Royal Scientist, who could be a better teacher? He usually gave the brothers individual lessons to their respective ages, but he was especially busy today (only to find what he already knew…), so he gave them the same lesson. The little skeleton had trouble understanding it. What the heck is an “advanced physics”? Sans had trouble understanding too, but he caught on eventually. So, why couldn’t Papyrus do it?

   …Heh. He didn’t understand why he didn’t understand. He thought playing with his action figures would help (he was never sad for long, if he was at all), but…it really didn’t this time. Papyrus sighed. Maybe he should go home now.

   Sans greeted him at the door, as their father was still at work. He would be home soon, though.

   “hey, bro. how was your day?” He said, trying to hide his previous concern. His brother did look a little down…

   “AH, IT WAS OKAY. HOW ABOUT YOU?”

   Just “okay”? Dang. “same here. stuff is getting a little harder, but i can deal.” He paused. “you feeling alright?”

   Papyrus went rigid. “OF COURSE, BROTHER. JUST, UM, I LOST MY PLAY BATTLE…?”

   “uh huh.” Sans didn’t believe him, but he didn’t want to pry. “do you want to get some food until dad comes back?”

   “ALRIGHT.”

   The two brothers ate their dinner, when Papyrus decided to ask a question that’s been on his mind since earlier. “SANS, HOW COME YOU CAN DO THE THINGS HE TEACHES US, BUT I CAN’T?”

   “well, the age difference of course. also, not everyone has to be a science genius. i’m sure not.”

   “YOU TOTALLY ARE!”

   “nah. i like it, but i’m not _that_ good at it. they need other jobs out there, y’know.”

   Papyrus got as close to a frown as he could. “MAYBE I’M JUST STUPID, THEN. THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS A FAULT AFTER ALL…”

   Sans’s expression was similar. “hey, _hey._ that’s not true. everyone has faults.”

   Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets. “YOU DENY YOUR OWN TALENT AND WHEN I SAY THE _EXACT SAME THING,_ IT’S NOT TRUE! JUST ADMIT IT, I CAN’T DO IT…”

   Well, that was probably the most passive-aggressive compliment he’s ever heard. Sans was starting to become a little tense. Maybe Papyrus couldn’t do it, but he exceled in other things – like observation, communication (with those he was comfortable with), and puzzles. The young skeleton would normally agree. He was just having a really off day. Before the situation could escalate any further, the two heard a _click!_ and a door opening.

   Gaster was home.

   “hey, dad.”

   The elder skeleton walked in, disappointed. Mainly in himself for not making any progress. _[I’M GOING TO HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH SOMETIME. I WILL!]_

Regardless, he smiled at the sight of his sons. [HELLO.]

   Papyrus waved. He didn’t really feel like talking anymore at the moment. Sans asked, “how was your day at work?”

   […BLEAK. I HOPE YOURS WENT BETTER THAN MINE.]

   “heh, i think we all had a long day. right bro?” Trying his best to lighten the mood, he looked at his brother, who nodded.

   Gaster knelt down. [IS SOMETHING WRONG, PAPYRUS? IT IS NOT LIKE YOU TO BE SO QUIET.]

   “he’s been feeling down today. about the lesson you gave us this morning. he didn’t understand it.”

   Great. Things weren’t going well for them today, either? The elder skeleton rested his hands on both of his sons’ shoulders. [I DON’T EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IT. WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS SOMETIMES. I’M SURE TOMORROW YOU’LL BE BACK TO YOUR “COOL” SELF.] He then turned to Sans. [YOU, TOO. THANK YOU FOR KEEPING UP WITH EVERYTHING.]

   Both of them couldn’t help smiling at that.

   [WHY DON’T I READ YOU BOTH A STORY TONIGHT? IT WILL EASE OUR…]

   “nerves?”

   Gaster grinned. [PRECISELY, HEH HEH.]

   The three made their way over to Gaster’s bedroom. It was larger than the brothers’, so it was more appropriate. He decided to pick the story “Peekaboo with Fluffy Bunny.” It was _far_ below his level, but it brought forth good memories. He read it to Sans when he was younger – he didn’t show much interest in it, but Papyrus sure did. He was especially fond of the ending. The children’s book had a certain value to it.

   Sans fell asleep pretty fast. Papyrus didn’t fall asleep until the end – he always had some resistance to “napping all night.” He was feeling a little better, though, which made his mind and body go lax.

   [AND FLUFFY BUNNY KNEW THAT EVEN IF HE WAS LOST, HIS FRIENDS WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE. THE END.]

   Gaster’s soul gave a pulse of joy at the sight of his lightly snoring children.

_[MAYBE THINGS WILL…BE ALRIGHT…ZZZZ…]_

  


	5. New Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Growth spurts and time skips!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The headcanon I have like many people where Papyrus, even though he's younger, grew like a freakin' beanstalk. He went from being up to his brother's shoulder to his brother being up to HIS shoulder. XD  
> No, I don't see Sans as super short or anything. He's just a bit on the shorter side for an adult male's standards - considering those who are the same height as him are an adult female and children.  
> I like to think Gaster's height was pretty average. Not tall, or short. He was pretty slender though.
> 
> Both Gaster and Sans's share similar thoughts about Papyrus's height.

**First half: Sans - 11 Papyrus - 7 Second half: Sans - 14 Papyrus - 10**

_"wow, bro. you're getting so big."_

_[INDEED HE IS. HE MIGHT EVEN OUTGROW ME IN THE FUTURE.] W.D. Gaster was average in height, and Sans was...a little on the shorter side. Papyrus was certainly catching up quickly._

_"NYEH HEH HEH, OF COURSE I WILL! ...THAT'S A GOOD THING, RIGHT?"  Papyrus knew that some people got sad abut someone outgrowing them. It was a sign that the person was straying further away from the bond they had. Ack! No time to think about that! Yes...it was a good thing! It meant you were getting mature. His father and brother will be so proud of his feat!_

_"yeah, it can be a good thing. you're gonna be the coolest tall guy around, i know it."_

_Watching the two interact from a nearby chair, Gaster smiled. It was so nice to see his sons happy, unlike that day a year ago...he shivered. He was finally making progress on the project. He started scribbling in his notebook._

_[ENTRY NUMBER SIX._

_PAPYRUS IS GETTING SO TALL. HE'S THE SAME HEIGHT AS SANS NOW. IT'S NOT HARD TO TELL HE WILL PASS HIM BY 13, OR SLIGHTLY YOUNGER. HE WILL LIKELY PASS ME BY 15. I MUST ADMIT I'M GETTING...BITTERSWEET FEELINGS FROM THAT. SEEING THEM GET ALONG HAS ALWAYS GIVEN ME JOY, BUT SEEING EITHER OF THEM AS ADULTS IS A LITTLE HARD TO IMAGINE. SELFISH OF ME, I KNOW._

_ON A BUSINESS NOTE, THE PROJECT IS MOVING ALONG. I AM WORKING ON A BUILDING KNOWN AS THE **CORE** \- **C** OMPLEX  **O** RIGINAL **R** EPLICATOR OF **E** NERGY. IT WILL COPY THE POWER OF A HUMAN SOUL, AND AS A SIDE JOB, POWER THE UNDERGROUND. IF MADE WITH EFFICIENT PLANNING, IT SHOULD WORK GREAT.]_

**~ TIME SKIP! ~** _  
_

At the age of 10, Papyrus has passed Sans's height. Not by much, but noticeably. 

   "AHA, I AM FINALLY TALLER THAN YOU! WHO'S THE SHORT ONE NOW?!"

   Sans rolled his eyelights. "whatever. you're still my  _little brother~_ "

   Both of the skeleton brothers' cheekbones reddened. Papyrus's from embarrassment, and Sans's from laughter.

   "OH MY GOD, SANS, NO!" 

   "heheheheheh!"

    _i hope you don't grow too much more than this. selfish of me, i know._

The following night, Sans had a dream about a tall figure in a scarf (his brother's scarf...?) that was far, far away.


	6. Do You Ever...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of questions. A series of answers.  
> (This one is 90% dialogue. Sorry guys. XD)  
> Oh by the way, this is the angst chapter. Skip it if you were looking for ONLY fluff, or continue if you're like me and love both. :P

   [DO YOU EVER CONSIDER GETTING A JOB AS A SCIENTIST?]

   "hm, yeah. i don't want to take your position, though. too much work."

   [I KNOW YOU COULD HANDLE IT, BUT I WON'T PRESSURE YOU ON THE MATTER.]

   He became an apprentice to his father.

\----

   "DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY WE DON'T HAVE A MOTHER?"

   "soul magic, i think. you don't always need two parents."

   "HOW COME EVERYONE ELSE DOES?"

   "well, i never said it was common."

   They were created through "the mind and soul."

\----

   "do you ever wonder why you're so great?"

   "BECAUSE YOU AND FATHER MADE ME THAT WAY."

   "...aw, shucks. nah, it's all you."

   They supported him. They made him great.

\----

   "it's all you."

   Lies.

\----

  "DO YOU EVER WANT TO SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE ON THE SURFACE?"

  [OF COURSE.]

  "just to see the stars."

   What measures will he take to see the Surface?

\----

    _"I heard he values his sons more than all monsters! He should use his brilliance for this."_

_"I know, right? He's working so hard, for a cause so little."_

"Do you ever want to know what it would be like if you didn't have them-" _  
_

**[NO.]**

DON'T ASK HIM THAT.

**\----**

_[DO I EVER WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF MY PROJECT FAILS?]_

_[IT SHOULD WORK OUT GREAT.]_

**[HEH...]**

**[HEH...]**

**[H**

**e**

**ʰ**

**.**

**.**

**.]**

****[redacted.]


	7. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is being nagged by memory fragments. Then the brothers move on to a life of sentry duties, puzzles, japes, cooking, and eventually a human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! I hope you liked this series of one-shots.  
> I made myself a little sad with the previous chapter. But I'm also happy, because that's what I was aiming for, haha.  
> You guys remember in "Troubleding Sons" where the memory fragments made Sans irritable towards Papyrus? Well, it just causes them to become closer in the UT universe. You have to appreciate what you have when you don't even remember losing what you don't have.  
> (Grief has always been hard for me to grasp in writing. I've never felt it. I hope this is adequate. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯)

**Sans - 23 Papyrus - 19**

   Sans doesn't really remember buying the house he and his brother live in. He doesn't really remember how he showed up in Snowdin at all. He's just...been there, for as long as he could remember. No one could quite grasp their appearance.

   The closest thing to a memory of  _him_ was short clips of a skeleton in a lab coat, a glitch, and a weird man with an almost gelatinous form. There were searing cracks along his face. That's all he remembers of what was once  _him._

   He remembered there being a horrible Incident during his time as an apprentice - but to _who?_  He wondered if his brother had similar visions. Probably not, he wasn't on the site during the Incident. He thought to ask regardless.

   "hey, papyrus?" He asked the tall figure that was once only a figment of his imagination - talk about growth spurts! When did this happen?

   "YES?"

   "have you ever had any weird...visions?"

   Papyrus put his hand on his mandible. "YOU MEAN LIKE DREAMS? EVERYONE HAS THOSE! EXCEPT FOR ME, BECAUSE I DON'T SLEEP." He's had bad dreams before. However, those were few and far between, thankfully.

   "eh, kinda."

   "WHAT WERE THEY ABOUT, PRAY TELL?"

   "...not important."

   The tall skeleton made a face that was a cross between annoyance and fondness - odd combination. But they  _were_ odd, those two brothers. "UGH, SANS! YOU NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING." He straightened up. "OH, HOW COULD I FORGET?! OUR FIRST DAY AS SENTRIES IS TODAY!" He grabbed his brother's wrist - mindfully, but firmly - and went right out the door of their house.

   "is it? man, i forgot too." 

   "YES. I WILL FURTHER BEFRIEND THE CAPTAIN, AND ONCE SHE IS LOOKING AT MY BATTLE PROWESS IN AWE - I WILL BE A ROYAL GUARD!" Papyrus's first impression with the head of the Royal Guard, Undyne, was...an interesting one. At first she was weirded out. However, she later found out the skeleton was very amiable and pretty freaking tough - so she let him be a sentry, and his brother too. Papyrus hoped to become friends with her sometime. 

   "why do you wanna be a royal guard, anyway?" Sans had a guess it was to gain friends. Papyrus enjoyed helping others, but the problem was all their first impressions were very similar to Undyne's. If they didn't stick around long enough, they'd just see him as a wacky, overzealous guy. Maybe so, but he was  _more_ than that.

   "TO PROTECT THE UNDERGROUND FROM THREATS, AND TO GET ALL THE ATTENTION I DESERVE!"

   "go for it, dude. you can do it." Becoming a Royal Guard involved violence. As much as Papyrus loved sparring, he couldn't bring himself to injure someone who became a threat. Could he? Yes. Did he want to? No. Sans was aware that Undyne probably wouldn't let Papyrus be a guard because of that - he knew she would end up caring about his brother, just as much as he did. 

   It took a lot of (figurative) guts to be a pacifist when danger is facing you head on.

   "...did i ever tell you how cool you were?"

   "MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, YES."

   "i wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

   "OF COURSE! ...YOU'RE COOL TOO, YOU KNOW. YOU MAY BE LAZY AND SECRETIVE, BUT YOU'RE STILL MY BROTHER. YOU HELPED ME BE THIS GREAT."

   "heh, me? nah, that's your department."

   "I'M NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH YOU ABOUT THIS! I MAY BE THE COOLEST, BUT YOU'RE THE COOLEST...EST! END OF DISCUSSION."

   "alright, then."

   The two made their way over to their station. laughing a little along the way. Although, with a touch of eeriness, Sans could swear he heard a third voice laughing along with them.

   "NYEH,"

   "heh,"

    ** _[HEH.]_**

**~ ONE YEAR LATER... ~**

Six humans fell. The Royal Guard and Asgore took care of them. The lonely King did not enjoy it, but for his Kingdom he would do it. He had to.

   Why would he do it for a whole Kingdom? Weren't there a few individuals that were more important? Or himself? Hmm.

\---

   On a seemingly average day, Sans was in his workshop. His apprenticeship gave him knowledge of timelines and the power of DETERMINATION. Did he personally remember or experience those powers? No. But he was aware of them.

   He saw a piece of paper written in...Wingdings? That was a dated skeleton language. What was that doing here?

   He struggled to read the paper:

    ** _[ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN._**

**_DARK, DARKER, YET DARKER. THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING. THE SHADOWS ARE CUTTING DEEPER. PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE. THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS VERY, VERY INTERESTING...WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?_ **

~~**_IF YOU CAN READ THIS, I AM SORRY. THE DARKNESS REALLY_  IS  _CUTTING DEEPER. I AM LOSING WHAT SANITY I HAVE LEFT. THIS WAS NOT A SACRIFICE I WAS EXPECTING TO MAKE. MY EXPERIMENT HAS FAILED. BEFORE I LEAVE FOREVER, PLEASE._** ~~

~~**_DON'T FORGET. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU BOTH.]_ ** ~~

_don't forget._

 

 

   

 

 

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are some bonus pictures I drew!  
> https://sprinkles257.tumblr.com/post/171800894955/some-drawings-from-a-dadster-fanfic-i-wrote


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